My Story...
How I “Woke Up” to
My Life’s Greatest Calling:
Enriching the Lives of Others
I was a serial entrepreneur for 20 years. It seemed I “had it all”. But something started gnawing at my soul. There was something I knew I wanted to do more. Something I felt was my life’s greatest calling…
I grew up in a good neighborhood in Salt Lake City, but my family didn’t have much money. We weren’t starving by any means, but as a kid, I didn’t have anything just handed to me so I worked a lot. At 10 years old, I was selling cold sodas to hot thirsty golfers between the 6th and 7th hole on the golf course. At 14, I was a dishwasher and busboy. Then on to mowing lawns with my little brother, 33 per week. The summer before my senior year, I was doing grueling construction work for $5/hr. Hard work is how I got the things I wanted.
(My first "business" – selling cold pop to hot, thirsty golfers)
After high school, I did volunteer work through my church for two years throughout the country of South Africa. The experience ignited in me a burning desire to succeed in life; then to bless the lives of others with that success. But where to start?
At the suggestion of a spiritual leader I grew close to, I began to read everything
I could get my hands on about the subject of “success”.
(Some of the classics that began shaping my life for success)
I was on my way to new thought patterns, but ‘how’ to succeed was going to take time. By 25, I was married, broke (actually several thousand dollars in debt), and renting a scary basement apartment. I was scrambling to find a way to support my wife in finishing her teaching degree.
You name it, I sold it that way — in person, over the phone, inside a showroom, outside in the rain, in an office, behind a counter, in a family room, or in a hotel ballroom!
Hoping sales could give me an above average income, I entered into the “school of hard knocks”. After the devastation of being fired from my first real sales job just two days before Christmas, I forced myself to continue on - eventually selling all kinds of things... encyclopedias (remember those?), automobiles, financial and real estate education, coaching products, retail sales, telecommunications and career consulting services. You name it, I sold it that way - in person, over the phone, inside a showroom, outside in the rain, in an office, behind a counter, in a family room, or in a hotel ballroom! Eventually, I gained sales mastery and became a top producer, training several thousand people along the way - up to 1,000 on one occasion.
After selling for 10 years, using a little savings and a credit card, I decided to go into business for myself - flying by the seat of my pants. I had no close entrepreneurial role models, but I chose to believe in my possibilities. I was "ignorance on fire!" Over the next 20 years, with a whole lot of work and taking some risks, I eventually started, built and sold a number of successful 7 & 8-figure companies selling high-ticket programs & packages in a variety of niche markets. In fact, I even found myself on the front cover of a business magazine, with one of my companies as the feature story. Each business was built without investment capital - or even a written business plan - but eventually they generated over $150 Million in combined revenue.
It seemed I “had it all”. But there was something I knew I wanted to do more. Something that really lit up my soul.
I loved watching their eyes light up when they really had that ‘Aha’ moment about their own greater potential.
Over the years, I would often find myself sharing things with other entrepreneurs that showed them how much more was possible than what they were currently seeing for themselves. Each time, I loved watching their eyes light up when they really had that ‘Aha’ moment about their own greater potential. I would feel joy and a deep sense of purpose! But as a serial entrepreneur actively running several companies, I found myself stretched so thin I had fewer and fewer of these moments. It really began to gnaw at me.
One day, while on vacation in Mexico with my wife, I "woke up" in more ways than one. I said to her, “Honey, there’s something I’ve been putting off, something I’ve been thinking I’ll get around to, but I feel it’s now or never... What I really want to do is spend the rest of my life enriching the lives of others by sharing what I’ve learned. I want to stop building businesses, and start building people. If I don’t do that, I’m going to die with regrets.”
Finally... I was able to transition out of my most time-consuming business interests and get on point with my life’s greatest calling: enriching the lives of others by helping them achieve their best life and greatest potential.
Family First: married to my bride of 29 years & blessed with four wonderful children who enrich my life every day. "No other success can compensate for failure in the home."
Mike is a successful serial entrepreneur, strategic marketer, investor, sought-after speaker and master business coach with a history of groundbreaking success in teaching others how to live a truly abundant life.
Scrambling to support his wife in completing her teaching degree, he entered into the “school of hard knocks” almost 30 years ago. By working his tail off, in addition to becoming an avid student of success, Mike eventually learned how to prosper… the right way.
During the first decade of his career, he became a top producer in selling high-ticket automotive, education, financial, consulting, and coaching products. Mike spent the next 20 years becoming a thriving entrepreneur by starting, building and selling a number of 7 & 8-figure businesses in a variety of niche markets – generating over $150 Million in combined revenue. His companies have been seen on CBS, NBC, MSNBC, CNN, and Fox News as well as in Entrepreneur, Inc., Small Business Opportunities, Los Angeles Times, The Dallas Morning News, Home Business, and The New York Times.
All of this was accomplished while raising four children, voluntarily serving in his church & community on a regular basis, and maintaining a healthy, balanced and abundant life.
Having personally trained thousands of business people throughout his career, Mike’s passion is helping other entrepreneurs leverage their gifts, scale their business, and attain uncommon freedom, life-balance & TRUE fulfillment in the process.
